Robots are more than just maintaining huge industrial grounds and production lines. The innovation has reached a breaking point and it’s now generating profit and growth for more smaller companies.
Autonomous robots are in a growing category of devices—including drone aircraft (aerial robots)—that can be programmed to perform tasks with little to no human intervention or interaction. They can vary significantly in size, functionality, mobility, dexterity, artificial intelligence, and cost, from robotic process automation to flying vehicles with powerful image and data capturing capabilities. Increasingly, autonomous robots are programmed with artificial intelligence to recognize and learn from their surroundings and make decisions independently.
No longer the stuff of science fiction, autonomous robots are already bringing innovation to the supply chain and delivering significant value, chiefly because they can help:
- Improve speed and accuracy of routine operations, particularly in warehousing and manufacturing
- Add efficiency through side-by-side work with humans
- Reduce the risk of employee injury in dangerous environments
Autonomous robots are helping define the supply chain of the future by helping companies decrease long-term costs; provide labor and utilization stability; increase worker productivity; reduce error rate; reduce frequency of inventory checks; optimize picking, sorting, and storing times; and increase access to difficult or dangerous locations.
